Join us Wednesday, August 10 from 6pm until …. at Galway Hooker Restaurant and Irish Pub for Happy Hour. Enjoy drink specials and a new menu, while hanging with your best friend – dogs are allowed on the patio!

We will hold a silent auction for an autographed piece of salvaged NASCAR sheet metal, a 50/50 raffle and have our dramatically reduced $2 grab bag of items, as well as our Petey’s Promise tees, available for purchase.

Visit Galway Hooker online to preview their menu and click here to stay up-to-date on the weather in Cornelius.

17044 Kenton Drive • Cornelius, NC 28031 • (704) 895-1782 • www.galwayhookerpub.com

THEN, on Thursday:

If you can’t join us on Wednesday, PLEASE do not forget to sign into Facebook on Thursday, August 11 and vote for Petey’s Promise in Toyota’s 100 Cars for Good program.

For those that don’t know, Petey’s Promise – Provisions for Pets in Need, is one of 500 finalists in Toyota’s 100 Cars for Good program, which will award vehicles to 100 nonprofit organizations based on votes from the public.

Toyota’s 100 Cars for Good program will showcase five non-profit organizations each day for 100 days on Toyota’s Facebook page, facebook.com/toyota. Visitors to the page can vote once a day for the organization that they feel is most deserving of a new Toyota vehicle. Petey’s Promise will be one of the five organizations highlighted for voting on Thursday, August 11th.

Everyone is encouraged to support Petey’s Promise and their quest for a new Toyota Tundra. If Petey’s Promise receives the most votes and is awarded the vehicle, it will be used to pick-up and deliver large quantities of pet food to be distributed to applicants striving to keep their pets and families together.

Petey’s Promise announced today its first annual “Petey’s Promise Pet Awareness” Commercial Contest sponsored by Wiley X Eyewear®.

The contest is open to all University of North Carolina at Charlotte students, and will consist of one 30-second commercial promoting Petey’s Promise and responsible pet ownership and awareness.

“We are really excited about this opportunity to see what the creative and fresh minds of the UNC Charlotte students produce,” said Liz Mellott, president and founder of Petey’s Promise.

“Initially, we are opening this up to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte students. Hopefully we will encourage other Nationwide colleges to participate and promote the need for pet food banks across the Country in the future.”

The contest will be held on the Petey’s Promise page on the online social media site YouTube.com (www.youtube.com/peteyspromise). Voters of all ages will be encouraged to log onto the page and vote for their favorite submission.

Petey’s Promise will not limit the total number of entries. However, the starting top 50 commercials to be considered for voting will be selected solely by the Petey’s Promise team. Public voting will begin April 5th, 2010, with eliminations announced in the following order until the Grand Prize winner is announced. The top 50 will be posted April 5^th, the top 25 announced April 12^th, top 10 April 19^th, top five April 26^th, and the Grand Prize team will be announced Monday, May 3^rd.

Contest teams may consist of one to four people (not including pets), and entrants should be between 18-24 years of age. Send submissions to peteyspromise@gmail.com from March 8th-26^th via YouSendIt.com. Please, legitimate entries only!

The Grand Prize team will receive two men’s and two women’s pieces of Wiley X custom eyewear, along with other contributions from local vendors, such as Foster’s Grille of Concord, NC. Wiley X Eyewear®, a leading provider of protective eyewear systems, offers a full range of high-performance protective eyewear products which has lead to increased brand recognition and growing use among enthusiasts of a wide variety of demanding outdoor sports and activities, including boating, fishing, motorcycle riding, mountain biking, rock climbing and more. For further information about Wiley X or to view its product line, please log onto www.wileyx.com.

Petey’s Promise, Provisions for Pets in Need, is a 501c3 non-profit that provides pet food and supplies for pet owners in the Greater Carolina area who require assistance to care for their beloved animals, versus having to surrender them to a shelter or foster home. For further information regarding Petey’s Promise or the contest please log onto www.peteyspromise.org or email us at peteyspromise@gmail.com.

Published: June 29, 2009

CONCORD — Sharon Carmichael was not sure if the trip from her home in Kannapolis to Foster’s Grille in Concord on Saturday would be worth it to receive free pet food.

“Because of the gas (prices) and (being) unemployed, I am on limited funds,” Carmichael said. “But it was well worth it.”

At the first mobile pet food drive for Petey’s Promise at Foster’s Grille, Carmichael received four three-pound bags of dog food, one bag of treatment for her dog’s dry skin and three bags of treats.

Carmichael is just the type of person Petey’s Promise was hoping to serve. The group started last July as a way to provide temporary food and pet-care items for pet owners who are having difficulty doing so.

“They don’t have to be unemployed,” said Liz Mellott, founder of Petey’s Promise. “All costs are going up, and if you need help to stretch your budget, that’s all we need (to know).”

Mellott started the group after reading about pets being abandoned by their owners. When she tried to donate to a pet food bank, she found there were not any and decided to create her own. She named the group after her rescued dog, Petey.

Since July 15, 2008, Petey’s Promise has fed 684 pets. At the first mobile food drive on Saturday, it fed 44 pets.

“We are tickled to death because that’s a lot of animals we fed,” Mellott said.

The group also benefited from having the drive at Foster’s Grille. The restaurant said it would donate 10 percent of the business proceeds on Saturday between 1 and 4 p.m.

Outside of the restaurant, Petey’s Promise had free pet toys, treats, cat litter, training spray, collars and other items it has received from donors.

Those who attended the mobile food drive were not only surprised by the items Petey’s Promise had available but also the amount of food they received.

“I was thinking we’d get a bag of dog food,” said Holly Mills, of Charlotte, who owns six rescued pets. “The amount (of food) and the generosity are awesome.”

Mills picked up cat food, litter, toys and treats. At a time when she and her husband are out of work, receiving these items for free helped.

“The last thing you think about when you lose your job is feeding your animals,” Mills said.

Mills said one of her dogs has an ear infection, and she has been unable to take the dog to the vet. Now, Mills thinks she will be able to do so with the money she saved.

Carmichael said she spent months putting off her dog, Zip’s, haircut and finally had to spend the $45 for it. Saving at least $70 on pet food made up for that expense, she said.

Those who received the food said they were grateful and expressed a desire to either donate what they could on Saturday to Petey’s Promise or promised to help in the future.

“I’ve never heard of anybody giving away food for pets,” said Bernetta Wright, of Kannapolis. “As soon as I’m able, I’m going to give back to these people.”

Saturday, June 27, 2009
1:00pm – 4:00pm

Foster’s Grille
8520 Pit Stop Ct.
Concord, NC

Click here for a map to Foster’s Grille.

Those in need of pet supplies can come and fill out an application on-site to receive free food and supplies, or download an application prior to the event at www.peteyspromise.org/apply-now and bring it with you.

For information on how you can help, please email us at peteyspromise@gmail.com.

Organizers of a drive to provide pet food for owners who can’t afford to feed their dogs and cats have announced four sites where the food can be picked up.

Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Animal Care & Control Services are teaming in this effort, which also includes an effort to get pet food and financial contributions from the public.

In addition, Harrisburg-based Petey’s Promise offers help to pet owners who are facing the same problem.

Officials say the number of pets being turned in at the Mecklenburg County animal shelter is growing, as the economy continues to worsen.

Pet owners who request boxes of food will have to show proof of need, say officials of the Second Harvest Pet Food Bank.

Donors are asked to drop off bags that are 4 or 5 pounds or smaller. Those fit in the boxes being used by organizers of the Pet Food Bank. But larger bags also are welcome, they say.

Here are the pet food pickup sites:

Community Outreach, 1800 Brewton Drive. 704-333-4280. 9:30 a.m.-1:45 p.m. Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays. Contact Gwen or Blease Turner.

Abundant Life Child Development Center, 512 West 32nd Street. 704-375-0568. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays. Contact Veronica Alexander.

Harbor Baptist Church, 5801 Old Concord Road. 704-596-2992. 10 a.m.-noon and 1-3 p.m. weekdays except Mondays. Contact Heath Spivey.

C.U.P. Ministry, 1201 East 36th Street. 704-331-4806. 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays. Contact David Godwin.

Here is where food can be donated:

CMPD Animal Care & Control, 8315 Byrum Drive, Charlotte.

Second Harvest Food Bank, 500-B Spratt Street, Charlotte.

Financial donations should be sent to CMPD Animal Care & Control, and made payable to “Pet Food Bank Donation.”

Petey’s Promise

This organization, headed by Elizabeth Mellott, provides food for pet owners who are experiencing financial difficulties and cannot afford to buy food and other supplies for their pets. Petey’s Promise also is seeking financial help from the community.

Pet owners in need can contact the agency and set up an appointment. For details, check www.peteyspromise.org, or call 704-654-9231.